My Name is Joe, and I Am Canadian

           In recent decades there has been a lot of talk about globalization.  While some anthropological discourse has suggested globalization means the end of traditional, legitimate, or otherwise “good” anthropology, there are others who recognize the opportunities globalization presents towards revitalizing the discipline (Mazzarella 2004:348).  William Mazzarella describes ‘mediation’ as “the processes by which a given social dispensation produces and reproduces itself in and through a particular set of media” (2004:346).  Mazzarella discusses the various modes of self-representation employed by communities through media and thereafter how these communities then reflect on various representations of themselves.  Ultimately, Mazzarella engages the reader with a discussion of how processes of mediation both participate in- and are involved in the creation of specific social practices and how groups become self-conscious of their cultural practices and their media representations.

            I would like to apply Mazzarella’s considerations to the various constructions of Canadian national identity.  The Canadian population consists of an eclectic mix of ethnic, religious, and various backgrounds.  Not only is this country quite young but considering its scattered composition, many Canadians feel at a loss for a sense of national identity.  The question of a Canadian national identity is one that has many people stumped; not only by Canadians living in the country but also by Canadian expatriates living elsewhere.  Considering the modern day context of technology-aided international information flow and the various forms of media that people have at their disposal for self-representation, we now have new resources with which to represent ourselves and with which to be self-conscious of these representations.  Several years ago the Canadian brewing company Molson began a very successful advertising campaign that relied on representing Canadian cultural stereotypes in a context of reclamation and pride.  As a young Canadian living in Vietnam at the time of one such ad’s release, I recall feeling a heightened sense of Canadian identity and pride that I had not experienced before the presence of the internet and YouTube.   

             The commercial featured a young Canadian man, Joe, who asserts his Canadian identity in contrast to the various points of contention between Canadians and Americans, for which Canadians are endlessly mocked.  The video ended with the line, “My name is Joe, and I am Canadian!”  The line was short, memorable, and effective.  This advertisement made its way, via YouTube, throughout the Canadian expatriates in Hanoi, Vietnam and bolstered a sense of community and pride, renewing their attachment to Canada.

            Globalization does not put an end to good anthropology but rather provides new and fascinating arenas by which to examine social processes in communities.  The diasporic presence of one nation’s population across the globe paired with increasingly available technologies creates the opportunity for new forms of cultural mediation.  

References

Mazzarella, William

2004            Culture, Globalization, Mediation. Annual Review of Anthropology 33:345-367.

Vinko

2006            I Am Canadian. 22 May 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRI-A3vakVg (Accessed 8 Feb. 2011).